Persona 5: The Phantom Files

by sithlorde1988

Will cover the events of Persona 5 Royal, with the sequel set to cover Strikers. What happens when in addition to Ren being sentenced to go live in the care of Sojiro Sakura for a year after being sued for assault, his younger brother is also ordered to go and oversee him? How will this extra character change things? Read to find out! More info in chapter 1! Read and review! Enjoy!

31. Request Run! Rebellious Queen part 8

A/N: sithlorde1988 here, with another chapter of Persona 5- The Phantom Files! As unlikely as it might seem, we've reached chapter 31! As of this point, this story is now my longest story yet in terms of chapter count! I think if I did the quick math on the word count correctly, it's not quite longest on word count YET, but if my math was correct, probably another 2-3 chapters tops (or even 1-2 if I keep churning out solid length chapters) and it'll get there.

That said, we're also pretty well in the back half of Arc 3 at this point, since any observant reader would've noticed that neither Arc 1 nor Arc 2 were more than 12 parts in length and the last chapter was part 7 of Arc 3, making this chapter part 8.

Therefore, unless the Palace is split over several chapters which is HIGHLY unlikely given that the third Palace is widely regarded by many players of Persona 5/Persona 5 Royal as one of the shorter Palaces in the game. I'm not going to say it's THE shortest though, largely because I can think of a certain OTHER Palace a bit later on that is so short it literally gets done in one singular visit (YES, you read that right, ONE visit) because of how short it is.

That said, unless I split the third Palace up over several chapters which is pretty unlikely, I'd say tops one chapter for the next visit to the third Palace, maybe one for the calling card and third boss fight and possibly one (maybe two) chapters of post-Palace shenanigans before Arc 3 is wrapped up. As such, we're getting close to Arc 4 already. And Arc 4 is one of the arcs I'm more looking forward to, mainly because of the many changes I have planned for that Palace. But let's focus on the third Palace for now before getting ahead of ourselves. That said, time for the disclaimer per site-dictated necessity.

Disclaimer: sithlorde1988 does NOT own the Persona series in any way shape or form, bar the OC Kusa/Draconis who he created and therefore does own, and any other OCs that might appear during the story which, unless stated otherwise, are also created and therefore owned by him. The credit for actually owning the Persona series belongs to Sega, Atlus and Koei Tecmo. So, all credit to them!

That said, on with chapter 31!

Chapter 31: Prep Week Continued! Mementos, Round Three! Request Rush! The Rebellious Queen part 8

(At the second year classroom with Ren and Morgana)

After thinking about it, Ren remembered his lottery ticket and went to Station Square to check it, being pleasantly surprised to find out he'd won 5,000 yen off a 3,000 yen ticket. After that, Ren went to the Velvet Room to grab some different Personas, then he headed to the Underground Walkway to find Yusuke, who he saw was available to rank up. Ren found Yusuke fairly quickly after getting to the Underground Walkway and walked over to him and spoke up.

"Hello, Yusuke." Ren said as Yusuke nodded politely to Ren before speaking up, surprised to see Ren there but curious why he was there as he spoke.

"Ah, Ren. What do you plan on doing today?" Yusuke asked Ren who spoke up.

"Well, since we're still in our prep week for the Palace, and there's not much else to do, I figured we could hang out. Unless you're not up for hanging out?" Ren said to Yusuke who blanched at this and spoke up, his eyes widened slightly as he spoke.

"Why!? Are you sure we have time for that...!? What is your goal here?" Yusuke said to Ren who smirked and spoke up.

"Slow down, Yusuke. We've got time. I wouldn't suggest hanging out if we didn't. So relax, man." Ren said to Yusuke. Yusuke blinked before nodding as he spoke up.

"Hm...You are correct. A nice break is necessary at times. I would like to speak to you about the painting I developed in Mementos. Do you have time?" Yusuke asked Ren as Morgana spoke up before Ren could answer Yusuke.

"Yusuke has a good point, Ren. It's good to take a break every so often. That said, you're certain you want to hang out with Yusuke?" Morgana asked Ren, who looked at Morgana and nodded as he spoke up.

"Yes, I'm certain. If you don't want to hang out, I can drop you off with Kusa before we hang out so you don't get wet since I'm sure he also packed an umbrella to keep you dry." Ren said to Morgana while nodding at Yusuke's question, making Yusuke give an amused chuckle as he spoke.

"Heh heh, I hope you do not find it too disturbing. Wait for me at Leblanc. I will bring the painting over there." Yusuke said as Ren nodded, heading off to go dump Morgana off with Kusa, who happened to be in the mall nearby doing stuff and was more than happy to take the not-cat off Ren's hands so he could hang with Yusuke. After that, Ren headed back to Leblanc. After a bit, Yusuke walked upstairs, lugging a good-sized painting under one arm as he walked.

After making it upstairs, he then set the painting down so Ren could look at it, gaping at it as he did so since it was very heavy on the colors red, black, grey and white, but resembled a dark-colored ocean with a huge curlique swirl in the middle which Ren thought looked amazing, even if he was a bit confused as to what it was meant to be. Yusuke chuckled at the look on Ren's face as he spoke up, clearly amused by Ren's reaction as he spoke.

"Ren. This is the completed form of my draft earlier. I would like your honest opinion...if you would." Yusuke said to Ren who nodded as he spoke up, giving the painting a very careful but appraising glance as he looked it over very carefully before looking at Yusuke as he spoke.

"Certainly. Well, looking at it, I'm inclined to say that it's both novel and enigmatic, perhaps moreso the latter than the former. But it's also well done as well, Yusuke." Ren said. Yusuke nodded, smiling as he spoke up, pleased with Ren's assessment as he spoke.

"Yes! Hmph, as it should be. I do not paint for the sake of others' comprehension. Regardless, this is how I choose to interpret the idea of 'desire.' Indeed, it is the foul charm held deep within the abyss of the heart...To be honest, I believe my ability to capture desire so elegantly is all due to our Mementos foray. I have grown to understand the intricacies of the heart in a way I had once thought impossible...To tell the truth Ren, I intend on submitting this piece to an upcoming public art exhibition." Yusuke said, chuckling in amusement as he kept speaking.

"Nobody has seen the abyss of the heart in such a raw manner before...The discourse will be fascinating. More importantly, it shall be the spark that revitalizes my slumbering art career!" Yusuke said as Ren nodded, smiling at Yusuke as he spoke up.

"I'm happy for you, Yusuke. But at the same time, the more cautious part of me is advising me to be wary as well. Hopefully, for your sake as much as my own, you're right about your assessment of the public's reaction to your handiwork, Yusuke." Ren said. Yusuke nodded, smiling as he spoke up with his version of a closed-eye smile on his face as he spoke.

"As do I. This slump has become quite aggravating. Hm, I'm sure this will be a most sensational experience for those who opt to undergo it. A raw, unbridled look into the depths of the human psyche...And I was the one who was able to bring it to life, all thanks to your assistance. Thank you, Ren. You have my sincerest gratitude." Yusuke said to Ren, who nodded back, smiling as he felt his bond with Yusuke get deeper. As a result, the 'Emperor' card appeared in his mind's eye, the 'I' becoming a 'II' to signify that his Emperor Confidant link with Yusuke had reached rank 2, though the rank up yielded no new skills for Ren or Yusuke. Afterwards, Yusuke spoke up, smiling as he spoke.

"Hm...I deeply anticipate the public reaction at the exhibition. But for now, I should be going. My apologies for disturbing you. See you, Ren. Farewell." Yusuke said to Ren who nodded as he saw Yusuke off to the station. As he got back to the front door of Leblanc, his phone rang so he answered it.

"Hello?" Ren said as he answered the phone, smirking as he heard Yusuke's voice on the other end.

"I want to thank you again for earlier. Getting a raw, unfiltered opinion was invaluable. I was even able to come up with a new interpretation, thanks to your help. I'm on a roll right now. I shall keep up this momentum and apply it to the Phantom Thieves as well!" Yusuke said as Ren chuckled before speaking up.

"That's true, and I appreciate that enthusiasm Yusuke. However, you're already doing more than enough, honestly. Like, you've stepped up in a massive way since you joined, and both Morgana and I, and even Kusa, appreciate you for it. And you've also got the common sense not to get yourself recorded talking about Thieves business like a certain other couple of our friends I could mention, but I think Kusa did way enough raging about that for the both of us." Ren said with a chuckle. Yusuke spoke up at that point.

"No, I can guide us to even further greatness! Hah...Your very presence amplifies my ambition. What a strange fellow you are. I can hardly wait to hear back about the public exhibition, so I can share the joy with you. I will contact you again later. Expect good news!" Yusuke said as Ren hung up the phone and headed into Leblanc. Once inside, Ren got a private chat from Ryuji that he read.

"Hey, you see the article?" Ryuji sent as Ren blinked before sending a response.

"Article? Nope, haven't seen any articles recently. At least not since that news coverage of Madarame's change of heart." Ren sent. Ryuji sent a response.

"It's an interview with some kid from school. 'Boy M tells all: Rampant abuse in the Kamoshida case!' That's what it said. It's mostly about the physical punishment. You think this Boy M is Mishima?" Ryuji sent as Ren winced at the 'Boy M' parts of the response, being reminded of his last private chat with Mishima, which had had quite a cringy ending that had Ren quite profusely swearing Mishima out in his head after the chat raised some rather awkward questions from a certain not-cat who'd read the chat over his shoulder. Ren then sent a response.

"Probably. Considering it's a 'Boy M', and I'm fairly sure Mishima is the only boy we know who has a name, whether first or last, that starts with M." Ren sent as Ryuji shrugged and sent a response.

"Guess it might be him after all. I mean that Phan-Site thing's been a huge help too...It's prolly fine to leave him be. He ain't doing us any harm. Seeya later." Ryuji sent as Ren put his phone away. At that point, Morgana spoke up as he and Kusa walked back into Leblanc, the former of the two hopping onto Ren's shoulder while the latter went upstairs as Morgana spoke.

"That article...Do you think the reporter we met at Crossroads could have written it?" Morgana asked as Ren shrugged, opting to check the article that Ryuji had mentioned. As he looked it up, Morgana spoke up as he read the article over Ren's shoulder.

"Just as I thought. The author is listed as Ichiko Ohya...I see. This article might end up being useful for us." Morgana said as Ren nodded.

"How so? I agree with you, but I'm curious to see what sort of thought process you used to figure that out, Morgana." Ren asked Morgana who spoke up.

"If the Palace ruler sees it and his cognition of the Phantom Thieves changes...Hey, Ren. We'd be missing out if we didn't use this to our advantage. If we have her paint us in a positive light, public opinion of us will change for the better! You should go try and get her to write some more articles about the Phantom Thieves!" Morgana said as Ren nodded with a shrug, figuring it couldn't hurt. After he considered his options, Ren decided to go to Kichijoji, seeing that Akechi was there and that there was an un-investigated request there, so he figured he could do quite a bit there. Once he fast-travelled there, Morgana spoke up.

"Hey, hey! We have a target we haven't identified, right? Let's go to Harmony Alley and gather some info on the old man." Morgana said as Ren nodded. After a bit, he found the bar that was mentioned in the request and stopped to listen in to the two men talking nearby.

"That old man hasn't come here yet. No wonder I'm drinking in peace." One of the two men said to the other who nodded as he spoke up.

"I don't like bad-mouthing my customers, but he makes so much trouble..." The other man said as Morgana spoke up so only Ren could hear.

"An old man making trouble...? Hey, do you think they're talking about the elderly man causing trouble in Kichijoji?" Morgana asked as Ren shrugged before turning to face the two men, who blinked as they saw Ren, one of the two speaking up immediately.

"Hey, this ain't no place for a young'un like you. You lookin' for somethin' 'round here?" The man in the checkered vest asked Ren who spoke up.

"Yes, I was looking into rumors of an elderly troublemaker around here. Any chance you might know anything about that?" Ren asked. The other man shook his head as he spoke up.

"Hoo boy...So even kids like you know about him." The apron-wearing man said as the man in the checkered vest spoke up.

"That old man's outta control. He takes drinks from strangers, he starts fights...And when he gets in trouble, he causes a ruckus and tries to mooch money off people. What's creepy is the more trouble he makes, the wider his smile gets." The man in the checkered vest said as Ren spoke up.

"Oh? Got a name by any chance? Regardless of if you do or not, tell me more." Ren said. The man in the checkered vest spoke up with a nod.

"Oh yeah, the old man's always shoutin' his name over and over." The man in a checkered vest said as he looked at the apron-wearing man as he kept speaking.

"Heiji Ono, right?" The man in the checkered vest asked the apron-wearing man who nodded as he spoke up.

"Yep, that's the name." The apron-wearing man said as Morgana smiled and spoke up.

"Okay! All right, we got the name of our target!" Morgana said to Ren who nodded as the apron-wearing man spoke up once more.

"But you know...I can't be that hard on him. He's around my dad's age. When he complains about his joints hurting on rainy days...I can't help but feel sorry for the old man. I wish he didn't hang around here, but stayed warm with his family instead." The apron-wearing man said as the man in the checkered vest nodded before he spoke up.

"You might sound awfully sympathetic, but I know you really think he's a pain in the ass." The man in the checkered vest said as the apron-wearing man nodded and spoke up.

"Well, yeah, I'm not denying that..." The apron-wearing man said as Morgana winced and spoke up.

"His joints hurt on rainy days? Poor guy. Okay, let's go! I thik we got all the info we need. Why don't we talk about it at the hideout?" Morgana said as Ren nodded, the listing of the request 'An Elderly's Meaning Of Life' was updated to reflect that the target's name was 'Heiji Ono'. After that, Ren walked back towards the Penguin Sniper where Akechi was standing out in front of the building, making Akechi smile at Ren as he noticed him and speak up.

"Hey, Amamiya-kun. Good evening. I have some time before the shoot. If you're not busy, do you want to hang out?" Akechi asked Ren, who winced as he noticed that his bond with Akechi wouldn't deepen if he hung out with him, but he shrugged, wanting to do it anyways. Morgana then spoke up.

"What're you gonna do? What's the plan? Are you gonna go with Akechi?" Morgana asked Ren who nodded as he spoke up.

"Yeah, I think I will. No such thing as spending too much time with a friend, after all." Ren said with a nod as he nodded to Akechi, signaling his intention to hang out with him. Akechi nodded politely as he spoke up.

"Thank you, Amamiya-kun. Good. Then let's get going." Akechi said as Ren nodded, the two heading to the cafe from before, enjoying some quality bonding time together. Ren smirked as he noticed that their discussions seemed to be rather engaging for Akechi, who had three sparkling music notes go up over his head, much like Kusa had had happen to him the night before, signalling that Akechi was likely ready for a rank up in the nearish future. After the two were done hanging out, they parted ways, Akechi speaking up beforehand.

"Well, I'll see you later. See you later, Amamiya-kun!" Akechi said as Ren nodded, heading back to Leblanc to get ready for bed, Morgana getting comfortable on Kusa as the trio laid down for the night...

(The next morning, between trains on the way to school with Ren, Kusa, Morgana, and Ryuji)

"Morning! Whaddup!" Ryuji said to Ren and Kusa as he walked up to them, getting polite nods of greeting from the two as he kept speaking.

"What are we doing today? We still got time, but shouldn't we check out the area around the Treasure at least? So, wanna hit the Palace today?" Ryuji asked Ren and Kusa. the former of which frowned and spoke up.

"No, Ryuji! We're still in the middle of our prep week. Once that's over, THEN we'll hit the Palace! You can wait another four to five days, right?" Ren asked Ryuji as Kusa spoke up, smirking at Ryuji as he spoke.

"I'm sure he can. The better question, at least in my opinion, is can he go that long without making a fool of himself in front of Makoto?" Kusa joked as Ryuji frowned and spoke up, huffing and crossing his arms as he glared at Kusa as he spoke.

"Shuddup, Kusa! And OK, Ren. I'll leave the timing to you. But don't decide too late, man." Ryuji said as Ren nodded, the group walking to school together, the rest of the morning going uneventfully...

(After school with Ren and Morgana in Classroom 2-D)

"Hey, shouldn't we tell the others about that target in Mementos?" Morgana asked Ren who pondered it before speaking up.

"We do have five targets now, so perhaps. But let me see what else I have going on before I decide on that." Ren said to Morgana. After pondering his options, Ren spoke up.

"How's this, Morgana? I don't have anything going today per se, but I also want to keep my nights open, in case something comes up. So, if there's nothing going on again tomorrow, we'll hit up Mementos then. How's that sound?" Ren asked Morgana who nodded approvingly.

"Works for me! So what's the plan for the afternoon?" Morgana asked Ren, who smirked as he spoke up.

"Well, since we haven't gone there in awhile, I figure now's as good a time as any to tackle the next level of that 'Big Bang Challenge', since that was a while ago that I took out the first level of it and I've gotten plenty better since then so I figure why not?" Ren said as Morgana nodded approvingly, right before the two heard a famiilar voice speak up as they exited the classroom, turning to face the source of the voice as he spoke up.

"Planning to better yourself some more, eh Ren? Not a bad idea, honestly." Kusa said as he approached the two, making Morgana smile at Kusa as Ren spoke up.

"Yeah, pretty much. What about you, Kusa? You got plans today?" Ren asked Kusa who shrugged as he spoke up.

"Nah, not really. I mean yeah, I've been hanging out with Taba a fair bit of late. But she wasn't feeling all that sociable today, so I let her have some space for herself. That being said, given that Kasumi's not here, that kinda leaves me with some free time on my hands today.

But you say you're heading to the Big Bang Burger? If so, why don't we go together and hang out? It's been a bit since we hung out just the two of us, after all. Well, the two of us and Morgana-sensei. But my point still stands." Kusa said as Ren smiled and nodded, looking at Kusa as he spoke up, pleased for the chance to hang out with Kusa, since he felt that the two didn't hang out as much as they used to as he spoke.

"Yeah, I'm down for that Kusa. It sounds fun to me. If nothing else, it gives me someone to bear witness as I conquer the second level of the Big Bang Challenge." Ren said with a smirk as Kusa nodded, speaking up while giving Ren an approving nod as well as a smile as he spoke.

"Ah, so you're going to try to increase your rank with the Big Bang Burger? Smart. And if I'm being honest, I could go for a burger right now." Kusa said with a shrug, as the two headed to the Big Bang Burger, Morgana riding shotgun in Kusa's bag, as he'd not done so in awhile...

(At the Big Bang Burger with Ren, Kusa and Morgana)

"So, you're taking level 2 of the challenge, and I'm ordering a burger? Does that sound accurate?" Kusa asked Ren, who nodded as he spoke up.

"Yep. You go on ahead and find us a seat, and I'll place our order." Ren said as Kusa nodded. Ren walked over and approached the counter, where the employee looked up and saw Ren, nodding to him as she spoke up.

"Welcome to Big Bang Burger, open 24 hours a day because there's no day or night in space! What can I get for you?" The employee asked Ren who smiled as he spoke up.

"I'd like to try the Big Bang Challenge, and also order a couple Big Bang Burgers as well." Ren said as the employee nodded.

"You'd like to take on the Big Bang Challenge?" The employee asked Ren as Morgana spoke up, having hopped onto Ren's shoulder as Kusa went to find seats for the trio.

"YEAH! You might be able to gain some Guts if you do the challenge. I think you can probably do it as you are now." Morgana said as the employee spoke up once more.

"As you are a Second Mate, the difficulty of the mission will be increased. The challenge will cost 2000 yen with the cost of your meal included." The employee said to Ren who nodded as he spoke up.

"Very well, I can afford that. I'll take the challenge." Ren said with a confident smile, placing 2000 yen on the counter as the employee smiled and nodded.

"Certainly. Now then, go take a seat and someone will be along shortly with your order and your challenge! And good luck!" The employee said as Ren nodded and spoke up.

"Thank you. I'll go do just that." Ren said, heading over to where Kusa had gotten himself and Ren seats, Kusa gently scooping the grinning not-cat off Ren's shoulder and into his bag as Ren sat down, Kusa speaking up as Ren did so.

"You get our food, Ren?" Kusa asked Ren who nodded as he spoke up.

"I sure did. It'll be along shortly. Hopefully I can topple this challenge like I did the last one." Ren said as Kusa nodded and spoke up.

"I'm sure you can. If anyone can do it, you can." Kusa said as Ren nodded, the two idly discussing various topics for a bit, until a female employee walked over and cleared her throat to get Ren and Kusa's attention, the two turning to face the employee as she spoke up.

"Thank you very much for coming back for the Big Bang Challenge. As you have moved up to the rank of Second Mate...this is your next foe!" The employee said as she placed a tray on the table, and the size of the burger on it had both Ren AND Kusa's eyes comically wide at the size of it as Morgana spoke up in spite of himself.

"WHOA! Holy crap! It's humongous..." Morgana said as Ren grinned, but Kusa gave him a pointed glare so Ren kept quiet, rather than cracking the 'that's what she said!' joke he'd been ready to make as Kusa spoke up, gaping slightly at the huge burger as he spoke.

"Wow...that's a huge burger. And that's the second-stage of the challenge? Was the first this big as well?" Kusa asked as Morgana shook his head.

"No, the first one was a fair bit smaller than this one, but not too much smaller." Morgana said as Kusa nodded. The employee giggled at the reactions of the trio as she spoke up, looking amused at Kusa and Ren's antics as she spoke.

"This is the Gravity Burger...A burger so large that it almost has its own gravitational field. Once again, this will be no easy feat to overcome. But should you conquer this challenge, you will be rewarded with an extravagant prize." The employee said as Morgana spoke up.

"So this one comes with a prize as well...Do your best, Ren!" Morgana said as Ren nodded while the employee kept speaking, looking at Ren while setting down the other two burgers he'd ordered as she spoke.

"Now then, it's time to get the thirty-minute Big Bang Challenge started! Ready...Go!" The employee said as a whistle blew to signal the start of the challenge. As Ren chowed down, Kusa blinked and spoke up.

"Dang! All that meat makes sense for a challenge of such cosmic proportions...! Do your best, Ren!" Kusa said, cheering Ren on as he kept eating. Morgana nodded and spoke up to add in his two cents as well.

"Now then...I'm rooting for you...and remember, nobody will think any less of you if you give up partway through." Morgana said as Kusa smirked and spoke up.

"Exactly, Morgana-sensei. However, I make no promises that Ren won't think less of himself if he fails this challenge, much less Kasumi. But then again, she might be more amused that you tried it than anything, if I had to guess." Kusa said with a smirk, seeing Ren glare at him and keep chowing, not amused by Kusa mentioning Kasumi like he had. With that motivation, Ren doubled his pace and ate with gusto and vigor. In what seemed like no time, the epic victory fanfare (as both Kusa and Morgana had thought of it) played once more to signify that Ren had conquered the second level of the challenge. Kusa looked at Ren in shock and awe as he spoke up.

"No freaking way! Ren, you actually ate that whole thing!? That's impressive, bro. I bet if you keep perfecting your eating skills, you might even impress Kasumi with how talented you are. Not that it'd take much to do that, given how pink she was getting when we ran into you at the station the other day." Kusa said with a smirk, recalling how flushed Kasumi's face had been with embarrassment when she looked at Ren during the social studies trip to the TV studio, which was also the day that Ren met Akechi, much to Kusa's disdain. Ren nodded with a smirk as he spoke up, grinning at Kusa as he spoke.

"Exactly. And THAT, dear brother, is why you don't try and taunt me like you did before. It only makes me work that much harder to succeed, just to prove you wrong." Ren said with a smug grin as Morgana gaped at Ren and spoke up, both impressed and pleased with the fact that Ren had toppled the second level of the Big Bang Challenge so readily as he spoke.

"Whoa...! Y-You...You've done it again!" Morgana said in awe, while Kusa politely told the onlookers to go back to their meals, since the show was over, right as the employee walked over and spoke up to Ren, giving him a look of mixed awe, respect and surprise at his finishing the burger.

"Congratulations on completing this challenge! Since you managed to crush the Gravity Burger...I present to you the '1st Mate Badge'!" The employee said as Ren got a '1st Mate Badge' accessory. The employee then kept speaking after that.

"And to the burger baron who defeated this challenge, we present to you...Our world-famous Big Bang Burger, on the house! We hope you enjoy the taste of victory." The employee said as Ren got 5 'Big Bang Burger' items, making Kusa smirk as he spoke up.

"Sweet, you got some free food, Ren! Good job!" Kusa said happily, more sparkling blue music notes going up over his head as he grinned at Ren, just before the employee spoke up once more, looking at Ren in respect and awe as she spoke.

"Enjoy your new rank as First Mate. However, one mission still remains...Please come again! I look forward to your next attempt at our challenge!" The employee said as Ren nodded while the employee walked off, after which Morgana spoke up with a grin as he looked at Ren while he spoke.

"I knew you could do it, Ren! You've defeated the Gravity Burger this time...You're incredible." Morgana said as Kusa nodded and spoke up.

"Of course he is. He's the better eater of the two of us, for sure. I don't think I could even fathom finishing level one of this challenge, never mind what he just did. But fair is fair, since I'm better at him in other things." Kusa said sagely as Morgana spoke up once more, looking Ren in the eyes as he spoke.

"You were so admirable, taking on such a daunting task with that intense level of courage!" Morgana said as Ren nodded as his Guts went up. Morgana then kept speaking.

"Nice! Your pace, your strategy of using well-timed drinks, and just the spectacular way you devoured it...Everything was perfect!" Morgana said as Ren nodded, his Knowledge, Charm, and Proficiency all improving at that point. Kusa then spoke up, having finished his burger at that point.

"Ahh, that was good. This place makes pretty solid burgers, and their drink selection isn't bad either. Definitely glad you scored some free food, since worst case we can use that as leftovers later." Kusa said as Ren nodded his agreement. Morgana then spoke up again, looking at Ren and Kusa as he spoke.

"Wanna head back, guys? Come on, we should head home. I'm full just from watching you, Ren..." Morgana said as Ren and Kusa nodded, the former paying the tab as the trio headed back to Leblanc...

(That night at Leblanc with Kusa, Ren and Morgana)

"Rain, huh?" Sojiro said to Ren and Kusa as they walked in, both looking at Sojiro as he kept speaking.

"I'm so sick of how few customers I get during the rainy season..." Sojiro said as Kusa nodded and spoke up.

"That's fair. At least your place is indoors, so it's just a matter of people braving the weather to come in and order the food here. But that sucks that you're not getting much business, Sakura-kun. That truly sucks. Hopefully you'll figure things out, like you usually do." Kusa said sympathetically to Sojiro, who nodded approvingly to Kusa's remark as Morgana spoke up, looking at Ren as he spoke, oblivious to the interaction between Sojiro and Kusa nearby.

"Hey, I bet that drunk journalist is drinking the night away in Shinjuku again..." Morgana said as Ren shrugged and nodded. After exchanging a look with Kusa, Ren spoke up.

"Since there's not much else to do Kusa, should we study some more? After all, no such thing as building up a stat too much, yeah?" Ren said as Kusa nodded.

"That is true. Plus it could be good for retention for when the next exams come up. Either way, I'm down for doing study time tonight." Kusa said as he and Ren sat down at a table as Sojiro looked over and spoke up.

"Oh, you two studying? Good. In that case, listen up! The more time you put into studying, the better! You won't have this kind of luxury when you go out into the world, so it's good that you're doing it now while you have the opportunity to do so. Not only will you be better off for it, but you'll probably be thanking yourselves in the long run, when you start posting increasingly better grades thanks to all this studying." Sojiro said as Ren and Kusa nodded before Morgana spoke up, looking at Ren as he spoke.

"What do you wanna do? Is the plan to study?" Morgana asked Ren and Kusa, who nodded as the former spoke up.

"Yep. Not much else to do, unless we want to beat the final level of 'Star Forneus', which would give me extra Guts, or make infiltration tools for Proficiency, or brew coffee for more Charm and bond points with Sakura-kun, but I'm fairly sure we don't need much more of that at the moment. And I can always stand to boost my Knowledge, so study time it is." Ren said as Kusa nodded agreeably. Morgana nodded and spoke up.

"Good point. Not to mention, when the weather's bad like it is today, it's much easier to focus on studying when you're stuck indoors, I've found." Morgana said sagely as Kusa nodded approvingly as Ren confirmed his intentions to study with Kusa. Sojiro nodded approvingly as he spoke up once more.

"Good stuff, you two! All right, I'm headin' home. Make sure you close up. And Kusa, if I see her, I'll let Futaba know you said hello, yeah?" Sojiro said to Kusa who nodded and spoke up.

"Yeah, that sounds good to me. Granted, she wasn't in that sociable of a mood when I texted her this morning, so she might be having one of her rough days. As such, I'll understand if she's not particularly receptive to it if you do pass that along to her, Sakura-kun." Kusa said sagely as Sojiro nodded before leaving the cafe so that it was just Ren, Morgana, and Kusa. At that point, the only thing that could be heard was the scratching of pens on paper, as Ren and Kusa worked on their homework while they studied. Morgana spoke up at that point, giving Ren an approving look as he spoke.

"Wow! It's quiet today...Maybe it's the weather. At least you two will be able to focus on your studies." Morgana said as Kusa spoke up with a smirk.

"You say that like we're not naturally able to focus on them, Morgana-sensei. But I think you meant extra-focus, so I'll agree with you on that." Kusa said sagely as Morgana nodded. A while later, the scratching stopped as Morgana spoke up with a smile as he looked at the two.

"You're both making some good progress. As for you Ren, I can see the wisdom in your eyes behind your glasses! And Kusa, you seem to get smarter each time you study." Morgana said as Kusa nodded agreeably as Ren's Knowledge increased, but not enough to rank up. Morgana then spoke up some more.

"But man oh man, you were in the zone! Your pen hardly stopped moving. Good work, Ren." Morgana said as Ren nodded, his Knowledge getting another boost, this one being sufficient to rank up his Knowledge from Rank 3, which was 'Scholarly', to rank 4, which was 'Encyclopedic'. Ren smirked as he spoke up, looking pleased with himself as he spoke.

"All right, rank up!" Ren said happily as his Knowledge ranked up. Kusa nodded and spoke up, smiling at Ren as he spoke.

"Good stuff, Ren. You keep that up, and you might max that stat out soon. Or at least, that'd be my guess." Kusa said. After that, Morgana nodded and spoke up.

"Agreed, Kusa. Well then, you two might just tire yourselves out if you keep at that for too long. I say you two should stop there for today and get some sleep." Morgana said as Kusa nodded, looking at Ren as he spoke up.

"I agree. Let's get to bed Ren, oh wise man of newly Encyclopedic knowledge." Kusa said with a teasing smirk, as Ren huffed but nodded agreement before the two headed to bed for the night...

(The following afternoon, in class with Ren and Ann and Morgana)

As Kawakami lectured, Ren and Ann's phones went off, prompting them to answer it to see a group chat with Ryuji, Yusuke, Kusa, and Makoto, with Yusuke sending the first response.

"Only two more weeks...We cannot afford to dally for much longer at this point." Yusuke sent as Ryuji sent a response.

"Is Kaneshiro still demanding we pay up?" Ryuji sent as Makoto sent a response, sighing as she did so.

"Yes, every single day." Makoto sent as Ann sent a response at that point.

"Man, it's gotta be tough dealing with that daily..." Ann sent as Makoto sent a response.

"I'm used to it by now." Makoto sent as Ryuji huffed at reading this response. He then sent a response, seemingly impressed with Makoto as he sent it.

"You are...? You're amazing, Makoto...I'm not sure I'd have been able to cope honestly, were it me in your position." Ryuji sent as Kusa smirked and sent a response.

"Oh, look at Ryuji go. Why don't you tell the rest of the class how you really feel about her, man?" Kusa sent jokingly as Makoto sent a response, ignoring Kusa's response.

"Thank you, Ryuji. That said, so far it's only been emails, so it hasn't been too difficult to put the matter out of my mind." Makoto sent as Yusuke sent a response.

"Who knows when he may resort to more extreme measures though." Yusuke sent as Ren sent a response at that point.

"Good point, Yusuke. Just as well we only have 3 days left of our prep week, after which we'll head back into the Palace. But fair warning, we might be doing a Mementos run during the next couple days, since we've got a good amount of targets built up again. That said, we should take care of him soon." Ren sent. Ann nodded as she sent a response.

"Yeah. If he sends out that photo, we're totally done for. It would probably be a good idea to handle this sooner rather than later. That said, I'm sure we're all on-board with a Mementos run at some point." Ann sent as Ren put his phone away, seeing Ryuji typing and not wanting to be part of the textfest between Ryuji and Kusa...

(After school, with Morgana and Ren)

"Hey, you guys haven't met since things went down. Are you up to speed? If he releases the dirt he has on you all, you'll be done for. Tell everyone to meet at the hideout. Let's discuss our next move." Morgana said as Ren huffed, glaring at the not-cat before sighing as he nodded and spoke up.

"Fine. I wanted to see if I had anything that needed my attention, but I suppose I can gather us for a meeting if nothing else." Ren said reluctantly before sending out a group text telling everyone to meet up at the hideout, getting a chorus of affirmative responses from the others as he and Morgana headed to the hideout...

(At the hideout with Ren, Morgana, Kusa, Yusuke, Makoto, Ryuji and Ann)

"Eureka!" Morgana said, his eyes going glinty again as Ren frowned and spoke up.

"Eureka? What's the deal, Morgana?" Ren asked Morgana who chuckled as he spoke up.

"Nyahaha...Curious, eh? Well, I've come up with a super cool idea. Lady Ann will surely swoon for me if I-" Morgana said before he was cut off by Ann and Kusa walking over at that point, the former speaking up.

"Sorry for the wait. So what's up, Morgana?" Ann asked Morgana, at the same time that Kusa gave Ren a confused look at Morgana's swooning comment. Ren just shrugged, as confused as Kusa was, before he turned to Ann and spoke up.

"From what he was saying just now, he apparently came up with a 'super-cool idea', as he called it, that apparently involves you and will make you swoon, supposedly." Ren said to Ann who gave Ren and the not-cat a confused look as she spoke up.

"From what?" Ann said as Kusa spoke up, smirking as he had a good idea of what Morgana's idea probably was as he spoke.

"Probably from more of Morgana-sensei's over-the-top simping for you. I swear, between Morgana-sensei and Ren, I question which of those two is the bigger simp at times." Kusa said jokingly as Ren huffed and spoke up, giving Kusa a glare that was both dry and unamused as he spoke.

"Don't be insulting, Kusa. Morgana is a far bigger simp than I would ever dream of being." Ren said huffily. Morgana spoke up at that point to both cut off an argument between Ren and Kusa and explain his idea to Ann.

"Well...It's something I've been giving a lot of thought lately. Now that we've all gained some experience in battle, I think it'd be good for us to work on our finishers." Morgana said as Ann blinked at the not-cat in confusion as she spoke up.

"Our finishers? Yeah, I guess if we're going to keep fighting, we ought to do it with style." Ann said as Morgana smiled, nodding eagerly as he spoke up, giving Ann a closed-eye smile as he spoke.

"Right? Right!? So, I came up with just the idea...It's maybe my best one yet! And we can definitely pull it off if you play a part in it, Lady Ann!" Morgana said to Ann who blinked as she spoke up, looking at Morgana in surprise as she spoke.

"Me? Well...okay-what do you need me to do?" Ann said, going along with it after briefly pondering her options. Morgana smiled happily as he spoke up.

"Now that's our Lady Ann! Quick on the uptake. What I had in mind was..." Morgana said as he explained the plan in detail to Ann, before the scene transitioned to him finishing his explanation a short time later, Ren and Kusa looking on idly as they listened to the discussion between Ann and Morgana.

"...And that should do the trick!" Morgana said as Ann looked at Morgana, giving the not-cat an unimpressed glare as she spoke up.

"Really?" Ann asked, a disapproving look on her face, as Morgana gave Ann a dejected look as he spoke up.

"So, is that a no?" Morgana asked Ann, who looked at Morgana, chuckling nervously as she spoke up, giving Morgana an apologetic look as she spoke up.

"Well, it's not that I don't want to. It's more like, isn't your idea sorta impossible? Even in the Metaverse?" Ann asked, before a shining from inside Ren's pocket caught the group's attention, making Ren gape as he pulled out the star that he'd been keeping in there since Jose had given it to him in Mementos, making Ann blink as she spoke up.

"What was that?" Ann asked as Kusa blinked and spoke up, fixing the others with an intrigued look as he spoke.

"If I had to guess, I'd say that we might have finally figured out part of that star's purpose." Kusa said in curiosity and intrigue as the star the group had gotten from Jose finished glimmering...presumably reacting to Morgana's crazy idea. At that point, Ryuji and Yusuke walked up, the former speaking up.

"Sup?" Ryuji asked as he and Yusuke stood with the gathered group, Makoto arriving shortly after to complete the gathering as she spoke up.

"I never imagined that I would end up helping the Phantom Thieves. Things would get interesting if my sister ever found out..." Makoto said as Kusa huffed and spoke up.

"With all due respect Makoto, your sister has no room to judge you, given what Kaneshiro said about having been with her previously. And if she can date a mafia boss, she can't lecture you for becoming an ally of justice. So forgive me if I don't overly concern myself with what your sister thinks of us." Kusa said dryly. Makoto nodded as she spoke up, nodding reluctantly to Kusa's logic as she spoke.

"Good point, Kusa. And you're probably right." Makoto said as Morgana spoke up huffily.

"There's no time to be getting sentimental here." Morgana said as Makoto nodded before speaking up again.

"Yes, I understand, I do have one request about all of this, though. Can you teach me how to be a phantom thief? Like about the Metaverse, for example." Makoto said as Yusuke spoke up bluntly, getting intrigued looks from Makoto, Kusa, and Morgana as he spoke, the former genuinely intrigued by the topic and the latter two intrigued at seeing how well Yusuke did at explaining the Metaverse to Makoto.

"Simply put, that world is formed of a person's cognition. There, you can change people's hearts." Yusuke said as Makoto nodded and spoke up.

"Yeah, I've gathered that much just from going there once. But the method of transportation still eludes me. I mean, it's a smartphone navigation app..." Makoto said as Yusuke spoke up once more.

"You only need a name, a location, and a distortion. After the first entry, the Palace is bookmarked." Yusuke said as Makoto nodded and spoke up once more.

"You really just make it sound like an ordinary app. Aren't there any dangers associated with it?" Makoto asked as Ryuji turned to give Makoto a reassuring grin as he spoke.

"Don't worry 'bout that, Makoto! We've already been a bunch of times and-" Ryuji said as Makoto spoke up, cutting off Ryuji mid-sentence with a frown.

"That's not what I mean. It's a navigation app, right? Couldn't someone easily access our history on the server?" Makoto asked, getting a chorus of shocked looks aimed at her at her question, though in Kusa's case, he was also stunned that he hadn't thought of that himself. Makoto winced at the looks and spoke up.

"Wait, why are you looking at me like that...? Has nobody thought of this before!?" Makoto asked as Yusuke winced and spoke up.

"I..." Yusuke said, unsure how to respond to that as Ryuji winced and spoke up.

"Shit, now she's catchin' me off guard too..." Ryuji said as Kusa looked at Makoto before he spoke up.

"Truthfully? We didn't really consider that particular aspect of that until now, Makoto. Which stuns me, since I thought I'd considered all the angles while I was the group's de facto advisor/analyst. Maybe we do need you to help in that capacity, if you can consider things like that." Kusa said honestly. Makoto nodded.

"That's fair, Kusa. After all, you're only a first-year, so you're still relatively inexperienced, even for as high-scoring as you tend to be. That said, I'd be glad to help out with covering all possibilities of what we do. And on the topic of that app, we don't know where it came from, right? It showed up on my phone without any input from me...Do you know anything about it, Ren-kun?" Makoto asked Ren, who considered filling the others in on the Velvet Room, but decided against it for the time being as he spoke up.

"I have a vague idea of where it could have come from, but I don't think you'd believe me on some of the particulars if I told you, so for now there's no need to worry." Ren said. Makoto blinked at this as she spoke up.

"You sound pretty confident in that answer." Makoto said as Kusa huffed and spoke up.

"Trust me Makoto, Ren's nothing if not confident in his answers when he gives them. After all, for all his luck blows at times, Ren's very confident of himself once he decides on something." Kusa said sagely. Morgana nodded as he spoke up to add his two cents in.

"I don't fully understand, but I don't think we have to worry about people accessing our data. From what I can tell, this app is incredibly special. It wasn't made by ordinary means." Morgana said as Makoto nodded and spoke up.

"True...An app that allows you to enter another world isn't exactly commonplace...Well, Sis doesn't know who the Phantom Thieves are, so I suppose our information is safe for now." Makoto said as Morgana nodded and spoke up, giving Makoto an approving look as he spoke up.

"Well said. That being said, we're still learning things ourselves. I hope your sharp wit can help us with that." Morgana said as Makoto nodded as she spoke up.

"Thank you. I'll do my best." Makoto said before she pulled out her phone to look at the photos that Kaneshiro had taken of the group, scowling as she spoke up.

"More importantly, we need to stop him from releasing those photos. If the public gets a hold of them..." Makoto said as Ann spoke up with a frown.

"I could only imagine what would happen then..." Ann said as Ryuji gave both Ann and Makoto an encouraging smile as he spoke up.

"C'mon, we just gotta take care of this before the time limit. We'll bounce back from this. Plus, people'll really start admirin' us if we can manage to take this bastard down!" Ryuji said as Morgana nodded his agreement and spoke up.

"Yeah! Ryuji's right, this is the perfect opportunity. We have to succeed, no matter what!" Morgana said as Makoto spoke up.

"Oh, right...Kaneshiro's henchman said the deadline is July 9th." Makoto said as the group nodded. After a bit, Ren spoke up once more.

"Well, I suppose since I have everyone here, I should fill you all in on our latest batch of Mementos requests that we've stacked up, since we have five targets built up, making for a good opportunity for a Mementos run possibly." Ren said. Morgana nodded as he spoke up.

"Today seems like a perfect day to go into Mementos! Let me check our intel...We'll start with this one first...Apparently the Phantom Thieves inspired a larceny group that steals from shops in Shibuya. On top of that, it seems their leader has been physically abusing his younger brother. We can't let these people go around tarnishing the Phantom Thieves name." Morgana said as Kusa nodded and spoke up, an unamused glare on his face as he spoke up.

"I must agree, Morgana-sensei. Not only is that beyond fucked up that that group's leader abuses his own brother, he encourages his group to take the name of the Phantom Thieves in vain with their deplorable actions!" Kusa said huffily as Yusuke nodded and spoke up at that point.

"I must agree, even more so if we are being asked for help. Let us put a stop to this madness." Yusuke said as Ann spoke up with a nod.

"I'm on board! I'm for doing this too! We need to trigger a change of heart in them." Ann said as Morgana nodded, speaking up once more.

"There are still more. This intel is on a cowardly kid who carries out atrocities using bullies under his control. He's the one behind that guy Takanashi, whose heart we changed before, as well. Anyway, it seems like he's been blackmailing people with videos they don't want made public." Morgana said as Ryuji gritted his teeth as he spoke up with a nod.

"Sure! Sure thing. Let's break that bastard." Ryuji said as Ann spoke up with a smile.

"It sounds tough, but I think we can accomplish this if you say we can!" Ann said as Morgana kept speaking.

"There are still more. This intel is on a sadistic student. It sounds like she's been treating a particular male student as a slave against his will. For example, she'll give him degrading orders, or berate him in public..." Morgana said as Ann sighed and spoke up.

"Ugh, so she's acting like a dominatrix to a guy who doesn't want that...That's horrible. I think we'll need to whip her heart instead, okay?" Ann said as Makoto and Kusa nodded, the latter speaking up, looking at Ren as he spoke.

"I concur, if for no other reason that Mishima nearly gave Ren here apoplexy when he sent the private chat about that. Not to mention, poor innocent Morgana happened to read the message over Ren's shoulder before proceeding to ask Ren, in the middle of the station no less, what S&M meant, since Mishima mentioned it a lot in that private chat from what Ren said." Kusa said, clearly trying not to laugh at the memory of how livid Ren had been with Mishima when he explained that message to Kusa, who had winced before gently explaining S&M to a horrified Morgana. Ryuji also was trying not to laugh while Makoto huffed and spoke up.

"That's so wrong on so many levels. I never took Mishima-kun for that sort of person. But it is what it is, I guess." Makoto said as Yusuke nodded and spoke up.

"Very well. I will go along with this." Yusuke said as Morgana spoke up once more.

"There are still more. This intel is on a heinous convenience store manager. Not only does he steal money from the register, but he gets away by blaming his part-timers for it. He probably just does whatever he wants because he owns the store." Morgana said as Ryuji frowned and spoke up.

"OKAY! Let's take him down. Even though he owns the place, it's damn clear what's right and what's wrong." Ryuji said as Yusuke nodded and spoke up.

"Very well, I agree with Ryuji and will go along with this." Yusuke said. Morgana then spoke up again.

"There are still more. This intel is on an elderly man who's been harassing people at Harmony Alley in Kichijoji. He snatches people's orders, picks fights, and causes a scene by claiming he got hit and demanding money..." Morgana said as Ryuji huffed and spoke up.

"Come on! Man, the list goes on, huh? Sounds like he ain't nothin' but a nuisance." Ryuji said as Morgana winced while nodding as he spoke up.

"Hmm, I haven't actually seen him do anything, but people really seem to be fed up with him. And the more people complain about him, the happier the old man gets." Morgana said as Yusuke frowned as he spoke up, a concerned look on his face as he spoke.

"Huh...So his purpose in life is to harm others...His behavior will probably continue to decline if we don't intervene. I'd say changing his heart is the right course of action." Yusuke said as Morgana spoke up once more.

"Oh, and one more thing. Sounds like he gets severe joint pain on rainy days. I wonder why he doesn't just stay at home and behave himself if it's really that bad..." Morgana said as Ann sighed and spoke up.

"Agh, so he still goes out and hurts people despite all the joint pain...? That's intense. Sure, let's go! Okay, let's change his heart so that he can relax already!" Ann said as Morgana nodded and spoke up, looking at the group as he spoke.

"YES! I posted the calling card in Harmony Alley. I'm sure the old man's seen it by now! No objections, right? Yep! Mm...we're good to go if you're okay with it. That's a unanimous decision! Okay, all that's left now is to take down the target in Mementos!" Morgana said as the group nodded their agreement. Ren then spoke up.

"Well, since we're all here, and debriefed on our new batch of targets, why not do a Mementos run to keep ourselves sharp as part of our pre-Palace prep week?" Ren said as Ryuji blinked and spoke up.

"Hey! Shouldn't we be workin' on the change of heart first? Well, I guess it's fine...Yo, how many targets we got? 5 of 'em, yeah? Let's do this." Ryuji said as Ren nodded and spoke up.

"Yeah, let's go!" Ren said as the group went into Mementos, Kusa speaking up as the group went.

"Let's do this, guys! Time to kick ass and chew bubble gum, but we're all outta gum!" Kusa said smugly as the group went into Mementos...

(In Mementos with Joker, Mona, Draconis, Skull, Panther, Fox and Makoto)

Mona stopped the group as they got into Mementos to speak up with a frown on his face as he spoke.

"Wait, you guys. Something doesn't seem right." Morgana said as Skull blinked and spoke up.

"Really? It seems the same to-Hold up. It looks like the Nav's reactin' to something..." Skull said as the map on the group's phones updated and the MetaNav on Joker's phone spoke up.

"A new area has been confirmed in the depths. Updating guidance information." Joker's phone said as Fox's eyes widened before he spoke up.

"What's this?" Fox said as Panther spoke up in surprise.

"It sounds like we can go further down now. It's because we made Madarame's Palace disappear, right?" Panther said as Draconis nodded before speaking up.

"That makes sense to me, while also tracking with my previous theory that the 'walls' we saw the last time we were here are probably gates that are locked behind certain criteria, such as changing Madarame's heart in this case. So in theory, we should be able to access another part of Mementos if we come back after changing Kaneshiro's heart." Draconis said sagely as Mona nodded and spoke up at that point.

"Yeah, most likely...I think." Mona said as Fox turned to give the not-cat a skeptical look before he spoke up, frowning as he spoke.

"You think? You seem rather uncertain, Mona." Fox said. He then kept speaking as another thought occurred to him.

"How far does this...Mementos run, anyway?" Fox asked Mona who winced as he spoke up.

"Uhhh...It's huge! Extremely." Mona said as Skull huffed and spoke up, frowning at Mona as he spoke.

"You're always so vague when it comes to the important stuff." Skull said, before turning to face Joker as he spoke.

"It's like he's kinda flaky as our chief of operations. Don't you want him to try a bit harder too?" Skull asked Joker, who spoke up as Draconis huffed at Skull.

"I do think he could be a bit more precise in his descriptions, yes, but Mona's doing his best, Skull. And I'm sure Draconis agrees with me, given how he huffed at you." Joker said. Draconis nodded as he spoke up.

"Exactly, Joker! Besides, I'd like to see any of us try and give better descriptions of this place than Mona-sensei does, when he's the only one of us here with extensive experience with Mementos." Draconis said dryly as Mona smiled at Draconis before giving Joker a grateful nod as he spoke up.

"You two truly are different from that moron over there!" Mona said gratefully as Panther blanched before speaking up as she gently patted Mona on the head sympathetically while she spoke.

"There, there..." Panther said, while Fox spoke up to cover up the purrs that were coming from Mona as Panther petted him as Fox spoke.

"I don't fully understand, but Mementos and Palaces are related to each other, correct? Then all we must do is continue changing the hearts of evildoers to ascertain its full expanse. I don't believe there's a need to quarrel over it." Fox said as Draconis blinked before speaking up in a dry tone.

"Way to basically re-state what I just said, Fox. But you are correct in your thought process at the very least." Draconis said with a nod, laughing as he kept speaking.

"Silly Fox, Mona and Skull don't need a reason to fight, they just do so naturally at times, despite mine and Joker's best efforts to keep it in check." Draconis said in an amused tone, ignoring the twin glares shot his way by Skull and Mona after his remark. Joker nodded before he spoke up.

"Yes, well, as fascinating as I'm sure this topic could be, don't we have targets to take care of?" Joker asked rhetorically as Mona nodded and spoke up.

"Precisely, Joker! We should investigate what kind of change occurred. Let's go, Joker!" Mona said as Joker nodded and the group started moving as Fox spoke up.

"Let us begin our beautiful work." Fox said as Draconis laughed before speaking up.

"Beautiful!? I'd hardly say Mementos is beautiful per se, Fox. But sure, if you say so, we'll go with that." Draconis said dryly, amused by Fox's perspective on Mementos as the group kept moving. While going through Mementos, Skull hit level 21 off of fighting low-tier Shadows and Captain Kidd picked up the skill Mazio as a result, making Skull smirk as he spoke up.

"A new skill! So, whaddya think!?" Skull said as Captain Kidd learned his skill as Draconis spoke up and smirked as he spoke.

"Not bad, Skull. But egh, I'd give it an 8 out of 10." Draconis joked as Skull frowned as the group kept moving. On the third 'floor' of the second path, Mona spoke up.

"Hm? I can sense our target somewhere in this area! Then, let's scour this floor for them!" Mona said as the group nodded and kept moving. As the group reached a red portal, Mona spoke up once more.

"Huh? Hm!? I can sense the target up ahead! Do you want to head in?" Mona asked as Joker nodded and the group drove into the portal. Once inside, Mona spoke up.

"Hey! That old man must be Ono! Let's stop him before he causes any more trouble for others!" Mona said as Joker nodded. As the group charged forward, Ono's Shadow spoke up as it saw the group.

"Eh, what the hell!? Who the hell are you people! Do you have some problem with me, Heiji Ono!?" Ono's Shadow said as Skull huffed and spoke up.

"Come on! That's the first thing out of his mouth...But it seems like this is the old guy who's making trouble in Kichijoji!" Skull said as Ono's Shadow spoke up with a smirk.

"Nice! I can tell you're annoyed even with your masks on!" Ono's Shadow said as Draconis spoke up with a huff.

"With all due respect sir, we're beyond just annoyed. What you've done is entirely and wholly unacceptable! I get you might be elderly and hurting, but that's no excuse to make other people suffer for your own amusement! As such, your heart is in need of a changing, and we're the ones to give it to you!" Draconis said as he crossed his arms, Makoto blinking at this as she turned to Skull and spoke up so only Skull could hear.

"Does he get preachy like this a lot?" Makoto asked Skull, who nodded and spoke up.

"Yep. But usually, he's right when he does so. So we've learned to tolerate it, since for all that he can be a bit preachy at times, Draconis is also a very competent battler with a very keen tactical mind, as he's shown time and again, most notably when he helped Panther devise a plan to ensure that Madarame and Fox saw a certain door open up in Fox's house before Fox joined us with Mona's help. So, you learn to deal with him over time. Because Draconis, for all that he prattles on at times, is a really good guy when it counts." Skull explained to Makoto, who blinked but nodded as she spoke.

"I...see. Thanks for the explanation, Skull. You're not so bad." Makoto said with a sly smirk, winking at Skull as she turned her attention back to Ono's Shadow, missing the slight dusting of red that crossed Skull's face behind his mask at Makoto's complimenting him as a result. Ono's Shadow then spoke up.

"So you say, young man! But I say that shows how interested you are in me, Heiji Ono, right? Riiight?" Ono's Shadow mocked the group as Fox huffed and spoke up.

"How unsightly! He's certainly disturbed. Let's end this, Joker!" Fox said as Joker nodded his agreement with Fox. Ono's Shadow smirked at the looks on Fox and Joker's faces as he spoke up.

"I'm gonna beat you down! Yes, yes, get mad! Look at me, Heiji Ono!" Ono's Shadow said as it changed forms into what Joker recognized as a Koropokguru as the fight began. At the start of the fight, Ono's Shadow spoke up.

"Payback time! Hmm, what kind of trouble should I cause next..." Ono's Shadow muttered to itself. After a few volleys of Agi from Joker and Panther and some attacks by Makoto and Mona, the former of which swung her fists around as her main source of offense, rather than rely on her skills with the Frei spell and use SP recklessly. After the fight, which ended fairly quickly once the All-Out Attacks chained together, eventually being ended by Joker's All-Out Attack, the ensuing EXP gain put Panther up to level 20 though no skills were gained. After the fight, Ono's Shadow returned to normal as it spoke up.

"I knew I was wrong...It started with something small. Whenever I'd do something stupid, my family would worry about me. My son usually treats me like I'm worthless, but he would care for me in those times. It felt so good that I started seeking that kind of affection everywhere. I ended up causing so much trouble..." Ono's Shadow said as Fox winced but spoke up, a stern but understanding look on his face as he spoke.

"Hm...An unfortunate consequence of isolation..." Fox said as Ono's Shadow spoke up again.

"Egh, sorry! I've caused so much trouble. How am I supposed to live like this?" Ono's Shadow asked as Joker and Draconis spoke up, Joker speaking first.

"By apologizing, Mister Ono. That's always a good place to start." Joker said as Draconis nodded as he spoke up.

"That, and trying to do what you can to make amends to those you wronged. It might be a long process, but often doing a good deed can be its own reward, and even end up leaving you feeling much better about yourself. But that's for you to decide if you heed my suggestion or not, Mister Ono." Draconis said. Ono's Shadow frowned at Joker as it spoke up.

"Apologize? It's too late for that...No, the important thing is to do like the young man over there in the dragon mask said, and start making amends to those I've wronged." Ono's Shadow said as Fox nodded and spoke up.

"That's true. I'm certain that's what your family wishes as well. And from now on, instead of taking it out on others, you should communicate your needs directly to your family. Tell them that you're 'lonely' before it's too late." Fox said as Ono's Shadow looked at him in surprise, not saying anything right away. Eventually he nodded and spoke up.

"Let me make it up to you! Yeah, I'll do that..." Ono's Shadow said as he faded away, returning to his real self, leaving the bud of a Treasure behind that Joker snatched up to get the 'Nuisance Belt'. At that point, Joker's phone pinged to signify that the request 'An Elderly's Meaning Of Life' was now marked as COMPLETED. After that happened, Makoto smiled and spoke up.

"All right! Another case solved. What's next? Do we keep exploring?" Makoto asked as Mona spoke up.

"How many targets left in this area? 2? Okay, then what's our next move, Joker?" Mona asked Joker who spoke up without thinking about it.

"Clearly, we keep going. If there are still targets left in this area, then we're not done combing it. Which is fine since that means more EXP, yen, and stuff, all of which is much needed, I'd say." Joker said with a nod as Makoto nodded and spoke up.

"Right. I can keep at it." Makoto said as the group kept moving. A short time later, in the fifth part of the area, the group found the next target and went into the portal to investigate as Mona spoke up.

"Oh! Look. It's Sakoda's Shadow." Mona said as Skull huffed and spoke up.

"Look at 'im...Thinks he's some kinda hotshot." Skull huffed as Panther spoke up before Makoto could do more than smile fondly at Skull's indignant response.

"He's the guy who's really behind all that bullying, right?" Panther asked as Skull nodded and spoke up.

"Yeah. If we wanna stop the bullying, we gotta take him down." Skull said as Panther nodded, speaking up while Makoto blinked, both surprised and impressed by how mature Skull could be when he wanted to be, making her realize that there's more to him than just a troublemaker, making her more intrigued to get to know him better. Panther spoke up at that point.

"Let's go." Panther said as the others nodded, charging at Sakoda's Shadow. Sakoda's Shadow blinked at the group as they approached him and he spoke up.

"Listen! You think you can blame me for what I've done? It's a dog-eat-dog world, moron. Didn't you hear? Might makes right." Sakoda's Shadow said as Skull huffed and spoke up not seeing Makoto gasp next to him as he glared at Sakoda's Shadow and spoke up.

"WHAT WAS THAT!? No jerk's got the right to go around, blackmailin' people!" Skull said to Sakoda's Shadow, who huffed as he spoke up.

"The weak who can't survive in this world become prey for the strong. Nothing's wrong with that!" Sakoda's Shadow said as Skull frowned and spoke up.

"You gotta be kidding! You're not strong! You're just a coward who won't get his effing hands dirty!" Skull snapped as Sakoda's Shadow chuckled and spoke up.

"Haha! And you're a stupid dog that's all bark and no bite! Changed my mind. Dogs are stronger than cats or mice. You're just trash! Now, die!" Sakoda's Shadow said as it changed forms into the form of a Black Frost. After that, the fight began, though it was far from easy. In the end, the group won even if Panther was knocked out of the fight, and thus missed out on a ton of EXP that put Joker up to level 22 alongside Draconis, though no new skills were gained. After the battle, Sakoda's Shadow returned to normal as he spoke up.

"I'm not a loser...I'm strong, I'm strong...I am strong...aren't I?" Sakoda's Shadow asked as Joker and Draconis spoke up, Joker speaking first.

"Didn't you say this was a dog-eat-dog world, Sakoda-kun?" Joker asked as Draconis nodded and spoke up.

"He sure did. And Sakoda-kun, you lost because you let your distorted feelings blind you to what true strength is. If you figure that out, there's no limit to how strong you can get, within reason." Draconis said bluntly. Sakoda's Shadow winced at Joker's words as he spoke up, ignoring what Draconis had said as he spoke.

"No...Don't...Don't eat me..." Sakoda's Shadow said as Panther sighed and spoke up.

"Why don't you just admit you lost? You're acting kind of pathetic right now." Panther said to Sakoda's Shadow who sighed and nodded as he spoke up.

"Yes...I know I am." Sakoda's Shadow said as Skull spoke up with a frown on his face that had Makoto looking at him uncertainly as he spoke.

"All right. Now it's time for you to get eaten. The strong eat the weak or somethin', right? When I'm done with you, there's gonna be nothin' left but bone. You ready?" Skull said fiercely as Sakoda's Shadow whimpered as he spoke up.

"Please, forgive me! I'm sorry!" Sakoda's Shadow said as Skull kept frowning before he smirked and laughed as he spoke up.

"Kiddin'. You don't gotta say sorry to us. Go apologize to who you really need to apologize to!" Skull said as Sakoda's Shadow vanished, returning to his real self as the bud of his Treasure manifested in front of Joker as Mona spoke up.

"Let's get the Treasure! Case closed!" Mona said as Joker snagged the treasure, getting the 'Evil Snow Crystal' for his troubles. After that his phone pinged to signify that the request 'One Who Bullies Bullies' was marked as COMPLETED. Afterwards, Panther spoke up.

"That went well! What should we do now? Keep exploring?" Panther asked Joker as Mona spoke up.

"How many targets left in this area? 1? Okay, then what's our next move, Joker?" Mona asked as Joker spoke up.

"We keep going, of course. In addition to the 1 target in this area, the next area we open up will probably have the other two targets in it. Let's keep going, guys." Joker said as Panther nodded and spoke up, doing a closed eye smile as she spoke.

"Yeah, let's push ahead a little farther." Panther said as Joker nodded, though two of the Thieves lingered behind in the form of Skull and Makoto, the latter of which lightly punched the former in the arm as she spoke up.

"Skull, you idiot, don't scare me like that! I thought you were seriously about to go cannibalistic on that guy! I don't care if you are a nice guy beneath that trouble-making exterior, that doesn't mean you can scare people." Makoto huffed as Skull smiled and nodded, gently patting Makoto on the shoulder as he spoke up.

"My bad, Makoto. I was just trying to intimidate that guy and give him a taste of his own medicine." Skull said as he gave Makoto an apologetic look as her gaze softened and she nodded before speaking up as she looked Skull in the eyes.

"I believe you, Skull. But next time you scare me like that, you're getting smacked for real. GOT IT?" Makoto said as Skull winced and nodded.

"Y-Yes ma'am! I get the message loud and clear! I'll behave." Skull said as Makoto nodded, satisfied with Skull's response as they joined the others as the group kept moving, both ignoring the knowing smirk on Draconis' face as he saw the two walk back up. While defeating more Shadows, Mona hit level 22. Not long after, Makoto also hit level 22 while fighting Shadows.

While fighting off an Archangel, Makoto seized the chance to use a Curse Bomb to knock it down as Joker called for an All-Out Attack, which eventually cut to a shot of Makoto punching Archangel in the face and flexing after the group pelted it with attacks, posing like a badass as she did a side-glare at the camera saying "They felt that one!", as the screen cut to a shot of the enemy on a tire tread, with the words 'JUSTICE HAS PREVAILED.' in all caps above the defeated enemy as the battle ended.

Once the group finished exploring the current floor and found themselves at the bottom area of the Path of Ayatbus, Mona blinked at the Shadow waiting for them as he spoke up, getting the rest of the group's attention as he spoke.

"Oh! There. That's the Shadow of the girl named Shimizu." Mona said as Joker nodded and turned to Makoto and Panther as he spoke up.

"I can count on you two if it comes to a battle, right? This might be a Shadow, but it's still a lady, and Shadow or not, Draconis and I were raised to never strike a lady if it can be avoided, but we will if we absolutely have to." Joker said as Draconis nodded his agreement from nearby while he spoke up.

"Huh, you wouldn't think that girl was the type to be into S&M by looking at her. But then again, one could say that about Panther, even if her current outfit suggests otherwise." Draconis said teasingly as Skull smirked and nodded, fist-bumping Draconis as he spoke up.

"Truth, man! And besides, no wonder that chick took to being a dom! She's not likely to get with anyone otherwise. At least with Makoto, she's got a humble, modest personality to offset her unique looks. And to be honest, I respect that about her." Skull said as Draconis nodded with a smirk as he spoke up.

"Uh-huh, and you're not just saying that to try and impress her or anything, Skull. But if I'm being honest, I think you two would be rather cozy, if a bit niche, together. But that's for you two to figure out." Draconis said as Skull nodded, before both ended up face-down on the ground a moment later when Makoto huffed and bopped them both over the head for being stupid as she spoke up, even as she gave Skull a fond smile for his complimenting her as she spoke.

"Focus, you two! This isn't the time for joking!" Makoto rebuked the two. Draconis winced as he got up slowly, nodding to Makoto as he spoke up with a wince, looking both surprised at how hard she could hit and suitably contrite after she yelled at him as he spoke.

"Whatever you say, Makoto. We'll be good. Just no more Fists of Justice, please. Now I know how Skull and Joker felt the time I smacked them upside the head in annoyance." Draconis said with a wince. Skull nodded his agreement as he spoke up, giving Makoto an impressed look as he spoke.

"Agreed, Draconis. Scary! Not just Makoto's anger, but that girl's face! She really seems like a sadist..." Skull said as Mona frowned and spoke up.

"She's calling someone her slave and ordering him around, right?" Mona asked as the others nodded and Fox spoke up.

"I should've known...In a way, she's denying his existence. I certainly wouldn't want to be a victim of that." Fox said as Panther nodded and spoke up.

"Let's go talk to her." Panther said. Joker nodded as the group approached Shimizu's Shadow who laughed at the group as she spoke up.

"So you're the pigs who wrote that calling card online? Why do I deserve this, hmm?" Shimizu's Shadow said as Skull scoffed and spoke up.

"Tch! It's 'cause you made some guy your slave! That's all kinds of wrong right there." Skull said as Makoto and Panther nodded approvingly to Skull as Shimizu's Shadow spoke up.

"That's what he wants! He worships me more than any god, you know." Shimizu's Shadow said as Panther winced and spoke up.

"Uh...I don't know where to begin to explain how you're wrong..." Panther said as Shimizu's Shadow huffed and spoke up.

"I beat him and I hurt him, and he sees it as a sign of our love and friendship! He's so happy!" Shimizu's Shadow said as Fox huffed and spoke up.

"Hold a moment...You are so delusional." Fox said as Shimizu's Shadow huffed and spoke up.

"Um, as if! It's ALL about me! I'm pretty and my grades are good! It's my right to order people around! I'll start by giving orders to you pigs! Lick my shoes, peasants!" Shimizu's Shadow said as Skull and Draconis frowned at Shimizu's Shadow as Skull spoke up, glaring at Shimizu's Shadow as he spoke.

"How dare you!? Just because you think you have it good, that does NOT give you the right to order people around! You give people like Makoto here, who actually do good with their power, a bad name! And that is not okay! Makoto might give orders, but she only gives orders that she believes will help others! Unlike YOU, she's a selfless and kindhearted person, who I have the utmost respect and admiration for." Skull said, as Makoto quietly gasped, not expecting this from Skull but before she could say a word, Draconis spoke up, nodding his agreement with Skull's remarks as he spoke.

"What Skull said! Normally I don't swear around ladies, but for the likes of you, and with apologies to Panther and Makoto, I'll make an exception. You are a selfish, self-centered, ego-centric, sadistic, cunt-faced bitch! And you're nuts if you think ANY of us will take orders from the likes of you!" Draconis said huffily, getting approving nods from Makoto, Panther, Mona, and Joker. After that, Shimizu's Shadow changed forms into that of a Yaksini, as the fight began with Shimizu's Shadow speaking up.

"I'll never give up M-Moto! He belongs to me! Being my slave is what makes him happy!" Shimizu's Shadow said as the fight started. After several volleys of 'Agi' which was Shimizu's Shadow's weakness, Joker called for the All-Out Attack, which Panther took, slashing into Shimizu's Shadow repeatedly with her whip, eventually leaping back to do a peace sign and wink as she said "A beautiful rose has thorns!" as the screen changed to a screen with various icons and a panther mask, plus the words 'OMG! We are SO awesome!' at the top-left as the battle ended. As a result of the EXP gain, Fox hit level 22 and Goemon learned the passive skill Counter, making him smirk as he spoke up.

"My Persona has gained new power!" Fox said as Goemon gained the Counter skill. After that, Shimizu's Shadow returned to normal as she spoke up.

"No, no, no...No! I don't want to lose him. He's mine. He's mine, isn't he?" Shimizu's Shadow said as Joker spoke up.

"I can't say for sure, but I can say this much: If you keep going as you are, he's sure to hate you, if he doesn't already. So I'd seriously try to think about how he feels rather than how you feel." Joker said. Shimizu's Shadow winced at this and spoke up.

"I could never stand that..." Shimizu's Shadow said, looking contrite as Panther spoke up.

"Why did you start treating him like that?" Panther asked. Shimizu's Shadow shrugged before wincing as she spoke up.

"Ugh...what was I doing!? He just kept going along with it, so I misunderstood and thought I could do anything I wanted...Actually, I...wanted to be more than friends with him." Shimizu's Shadow said as Panther gasped at this and spoke up, giving Shimizu's Shadow an excited look as she spoke.

"More than friends? You mean like as a boyfriend!?" Panther asked as Shimizu's Shadow shyly nodded as she spoke up.

"Yes. I had a crush on him, but then I got possessive. Those feelings went out of control..." Shimizu said sheepishly as Panther nodded, giving Shimizu's Shadow a closed-eye smile as she spoke up, giving Shimizu's Shadow an understanding yet sympathetic look as she spoke.

"Yeah! Be careful that you don't make things worse for yourself than they already are..." Panther said as Shimizu's Shadow nodded before fading away and returning to her real self, leaving behind the bud of a Treasure, making Mona grin as he looked at Joker and spoke up.

"Ah, the Treasure has shown itself!" Mona said as Joker seized the Treasure, which turned out to be a 'Whip Sword' weapon, which Joker surmised was probably for Panther. After that, his phone pinged to signify that the request 'Sadism Is Just A Sign Of Love' was marked as 'COMPLETED'. After that, the group moved forward to examine the wall ahead of them, which immediately receded away as the group approached, confirming that they could proceed further down, which made Skull grin as he spoke up.

"Whoa...All right, we did it!" Skull said as Panther did another closed-eye smile and spoke up.

"This is because more people believe in us now, right?" Panther asked as Draconis nodded and spoke up.

"I would agree with that, Panther. But it's probably also because we unlocked it by changing Madarame's Heart. So that means when we hit the bottom of this next area, that'll be as far as we can go until we change Kaneshiro's heart, and so on until we eventually hit the depths of Mementos, however far down those may be." Draconis said sagely. Mona nodded agreeably as he spoke up.

"Exactly, Draconis! That has to be it. Now then, let's get in there!" Mona said as the group kept moving. Once in the next area, or the 'Path of Chemdah', Panther spoke up.

"D-Doesn't this look different from how it was before?" Panther asked as Mona nodded and spoke up.

"Looks like it'll be a new area from here on. I'm starting to understand how this place works..." Mona said as Fox nodded and spoke up.

"Yes...It is quite a marvel to find the subway system down here." Fox said as Skull spoke up, his words making Draconis wince as he spoke.

"Uh, earth to Yusuke! It's always been like that!" Skull said as Draconis huffed.

"SKULL! How is it you still don't seem to understand this!? CODE NAMES WHILE WE'RE IN MEMENTOS OR A PALACE! Jeez, how you can be so cool sometimes and so moronic others both confuses and annoys me." Draconis said, crossing his arms with a huff as Makoto gave Draconis an appraising look at his remark, liking that the group had code names to use in the Metaverse and Mementos, and making a note to ask them about it when they returned to take care of Kaneshiro's Palace. At that point, Mona's ears twitched as he spoke up, getting everyone's attention as he spoke.

"Hm!? I can already sense our next target somewhere inside this area! Then, that would mean...Let's scour this floor, top to bottom, until we find them!" Mona said as the others nodded and kept moving. In no time flat the group found the portal to the target and drove through it. Once inside, Mona spoke up as he saw the Shadow in front of the group.

"Oh! There he is. It's Odo, the shop manager." Mona said as Fox spoke up with a frown.

"What an unpleasant smile." Fox said as Mona nodded and kept speaking.

"It's his customer service smile, right? Yet behind the scenes, he's extorting his subordinates." Mona said as Skull nodded and spoke up.

"True. Not to mention, this guy might start doin' it to his customers too. Who knows?" Skull said as Panther and Makoto gasped, the former speaking up in shock.

"That would be a disaster! Let's go!" Panther said as Joker nodded, the group charging ahead towards Odo's Shadow who smirked as he saw them approach and spoke up.

"Welcome, welcome! How may I help you, ladies and gents of the Phantom Thieves?" Odo's Shadow said as Skull huffed and spoke up in annoyance.

"Why'd you blackmail your own employees? That's not normal!" Skull asked Odo's Shadow, which huffed as he spoke up.

"My shop is a directly managed store of a large chain. Since I'm highly competent, I'm in charge. I don't need strangers complaining about how I use this shop's money. Part-time workers are the property of the shop. Thus, they are mine to use as I will." Odo's Shadow said with a sneer as Panther gasped and spoke up with a frown.

"WHAT!? Property!? Who do you think you are!?" Panther said as Draconis frowned and spoke up.

"One low-down, no-good, distorted piece of garbage I'd say. Good employers take care of the needs and desires of their employees and value them above all else. Some bosses even take it so far as to treat their employees like family. Unlike this walking bag of human scum who would sooner extort and blackmail his own employees. I wouldn't work for this son of a bitch if you paid me all the money in Kaneshiro's Bank, and I'm willing to bet that man is loaded to an insane degree." Draconis said with a huff. Odo's Shadow laughed as he spoke up, smirking at Draconis' remark as he spoke.

"I get it now. You pretend to be heroes, but you're all just criminals. I'm gonna kill you!" Odo's Shadow said as Draconis glared at the Shadow and turned to Joker.

"I don't like this bastard's attitude. Tag me in with someone so I can punish him myself, yeah?" Draconis asked Joker, who nodded and signaled for Fox to tag out with Draconis, which he did without complaint. At that point, Odo's Shadow shifted forms to that of an unidentified Shadow. Mona frowned at this and spoke up.

"Let's go!" Mona said as the group nodded, the battle beginning at that point. Odo's Shadow then huffed at the group as it spoke up.

"Outlaws who dare trespass in my sanctuary...Prepare to be royally obliterated by my hand!" Odo's Shadow taunted the group as Draconis huffed and spoke up.

"Uh-huh, sure. I'd like to see you try, you overgrown egomaniac!" Draconis deadpanned as the battle began! The ensuing fight was tough, largely due to the lack of weaknesses that Odo's Shadow had, but the group pulled through in the end. The ensuing EXP gain from the fight brought Skull to level 22 and Panther to level 21. After the fight, Odo's Shadow reverted to normal, looking up at the group as he spoke up in a remorseful tone.

"I-I'm sorry! Am I really not worthy of being the store manager...?" Odo's Shadow asked as Joker and Draconis huffed before Joker spoke up.

"At least you realize your mistakes now. I'd fire you, but I don't have that kind of authority, so consider this a wake-up call to do the right thing and make amends to those you've wronged." Joker said as Odo's Shadow nodded as he spoke up.

"I'm a failure...I remember now...Employees aren't property...They're human beings. And yet, I took advantage of them. I-I've done bad things..." Odo's Shadow said as Skull huffed and spoke up, frowning as he spoke.

"Talk about a horrible workplace." Skull said as Odo's Shadow nodded, hanging his head as he spoke.

"I don't know how I can ever make up for this..." Odo's Shadow said as Draconis spoke up.

"A good starting point would be to apologize to everyone you've wronged, and try to do what you can to rectify your misdeeds, even if it means turning yourself in and confessing what you've done. I can't guarantee you won't face hefty punishments for what you'e done, because you probably will, but in the end your conscience will be much lighter if you heed my advice than it would be if you don't.

But only you can truly decide if it's worth sacrificing most everything just to make things right. But I give you credit for owning that you were in the wrong, and that what you did was horrible, and frankly borderline unforgivable, but it's not up to me if you deserve forgiveness, luckily for you." Draconis said huffily as Fox nodded and spoke up at that point.

"I concur with Draconis. Also, it seems you've done quite a bit more, haven't you? It'd be best if you just confess everything." Fox said as Odo's Shadow nodded, fading away as he returned to his real self, leaving behind the bud of his Treasure which Joker seized to get the book 'Chinese Sweets'. Skull blinked at this and spoke up.

"What? Aren't those Chinese desserts or somethin'?" Skull asked as Fox nodded while speaking up.

"Indeed. Ah, I see...so he was lining his own pockets." Fox said. Draconis nodded his agreement and spoke up.

"Indeed. Good riddance to greedy sacks of rubbish like that guy. Hopefully his change of heart will stick, and he'll turn his life around. Either way, we've done all we can do." Draconis said as the others nodded, Joker's phone pinging to signify that the request 'Part-Time Job, Full Time Hell' was now marked as COMPLETED. After that, Draconis spoke up with a nod as he looked at Joker as he spoke.

"Well, that didn't go too badly at all for us, I'd say. So what's the play now? Do we keep exploring, or do we not?" Draconis asked as Mona spoke up.

"How many targets left in this area? 1? Okay, then what's our next move, Joker?" Mona asked Joker who spoke up.

"We keep going, of course. This next target should be the last of the current batch and then we're good to leave after that once we hit a rest area." Joker said as the group nodded and Draconis spoke up.

"Yep, makes sense to me. No sense backing out now when we're this close to finishing our current workload. After all, this just means more EXP to help us be better prepared for Kaneshiro's Palace." Draconis said sagely as the group nodded and kept moving. Once outside, Mona spoke up.

"The last target is close. It feels like it's in an area a little bit further past here." Mona said as Joker nodded and the group kept moving. After fighting more Shadows, Joker and Draconis hit level 23. After finding the platform and heading down a floor, Skull huffed as he spoke up.

"Hey. How many areas are on this floor, anyway?" Skull asked as Panther shrugged and spoke up.

"The last floor had seven areas, but the one before that had only two, right?" Panther said as Fox nodded and spoke up.

"I suppose it varies, depending upon the location..." Fox said as Draconis nodded and spoke up.

"That tracks. But I think the areas are only going to have progressively larger amounts of total floors as we progress, so I'd guess that this floor could have a minimum of 10 areas to it, maybe as many as 14 or 15." Draconis said with a nod as Skull sighed and spoke up.

"I guess that means it ain't easy to tell how much of a floor we got left to cover, huh?" Skull said as Makoto nodded while gently patting Skull on the shoulder.

"Correct. But eventually we'll get a navigator for the group and they can handle tracking things like that." Makoto said, not seeing Draconis' eyes widen fractionally behind his mask at her comment, being reminded of another occasion not that long before when he'd found out about someone he knows having a Palace, making him idly wonder if Joker's joking remark he'd previously made about a friend of his joining the group could actually come to pass. At that point, Draconis swore to himself that if it did, he would do everything in his power to keep Futaba safe if she did join the group. He then shook himself to stay focused as Mona spoke up.

"That's right. We won't know how many areas are on a floor until we make it to the end. But given how often Draconis' instincts seem to be spot-on, I'd be inclined to agree with his assessment of how many areas this floor will have. But judging by the vibe I'm getting from the Shadows, I'd guess that this floor isn't any smaller than the last." Mona said as the camera panned to show Jose drive by the group as the group kept moving. After a bit, the group reached the next area, only for them to gasp and Skull to speak up.

"Whoa! What the hell happened? It's so dark!" Skull said as Draconis nodded and spoke up.

"Indeed. It's almost as if someone killed the lights in here on purpose. Mona, do you think that Shadow you previously warned us about could have done this?" Draconis asked Mona. Mona shook his head as he spoke up.

"Nope, this is definitely not the work of the Reaper, Draconis. That said, Mementos is an amalgamation of the people's cognition. This can affect the environment, as well as the structure. It hasn't been like this in a long time, but it seems like the darkness won't be the only thing we'll have to deal with." Mona said as Panther frowned and spoke up.

"You mean we have even more stuff to worry about?" Panther asked Mona who nodded as he spoke.

"In a way...I can sense rare Shadows all around us. We should explore this area for a bit-despite the darkness." Mona said as Skull nodded and spoke up.

"I don't really wanna stick around here, but if you say so, then I guess we can go for it..." Skull said as Draconis nodded and spoke up so only Skull could hear.

"Don't be like that, Skull. Look at it as a chance to be tough for Makoto, maybe even impress her some more, yeah?" Draconis said with a teasing wink as Skull huffed but nodded.

"Good point, Draconis. Let's do this. Joker, just...drive extra safe or something!" Skull said, not reacting to Draconis' teasing remark. Luckily for Draconis, he kept his voice down so that only Skull could hear lest he risk getting a Fist of Justice to the face courtesy of Makoto. Joker nodded as he spoke up.

"No problem, Skull. I know there's no seatbelts back there, but maybe you can throw an arm in front of people to protect them if it gets too bumpy, yeah?" Joker suggested as Skull nodded and the group kept moving as Mona spoke up.

"When it's this dark, it can be extra tough figuring out where the enemies are. Mind your movement." Mona said as Draconis spoke up.

"Makes sense, Mona-sensei. But between Makoto and I, we have good tracking of our movements." Draconis said as Makoto nodded approvingly. While battling Treasure Demons, Makoto hit level 23. Finally, on the fourth area of the floor, the group found the last target, driving through the red portal as Mona spoke up after the group was ejected from his car form as he turned back to normal. Draconis smirked as he looked over, seeing that as if by chance, the ejection had caused Makoto to end up landing on Skull, using the unfortunate blonde as a landing pad. He then turned to give Mona his attention as he spoke.

"That must be Kazuya Makigami's Shadow." Mona said as Skull winced after helping Makoto up as he spoke, trying not to let his red face show too much under his mask.

"He looks so...bad." Skull said as Fox spoke up with a nod, his words making Draconis give the Shadow a livid glare as Fox spoke.

"Yes...He's part of a burglary ring targeting restaurants, and he's used violence against his brother." Fox said as Panther spoke up.

"We have to do something about this." Panther said as Draconis nodded, speaking up at that point while giving a fond smile to the others as he spoke.

"Damn effing straight we do! This man is such a disgrace, that he doesn't deserve to call himself a brother, whether it be older or younger! No true self-respecting brother would EVER abuse their siblings for any reason! I don't care if they do argue from time to time, they're still family, and you're supposed to love your family!" Draconis said in a tone that was a mix of livid and disappointed. Fox nodded as he spoke up.

"Let's talk to him." Fox said as Joker nodded, leading the group up to Makigami's Shadow as it spoke up with a taunting laugh.

"Me? Am I the one behind the burglary ring? Yeah, that's right! I convinced my friends to do some 'part-time work' for me. But I'm not in the wrong!" Makigami's Shadow said as Fox sputtered before speaking up.

"Trying to make excuses now? You should be ashamed of yourself." Fox rebuked Makigami's Shadow as he spoke up once more.

"No! I just meant it as a way to have a little fun, but those idiots got cocky! And now I'm the one who's in trouble! Dammit! Why do bad things always have to happen to me!?" Makigami's Shadow said as Panther looked at him in confusion as she spoke up.

"Bad things? What are you talking about?" Panther asked Makigami's Shadow who huffed as he spoke up.

"Yeah, ever since I was a kid! School, society...everyone treated me like I was dirt! My little brother was the smart one, Mom and Dad's favorite. They couldn't care less about me..." Makigami's Shadow said as Draconis winced behind his mask at the comment, as it hit a little too close to home for his comfort level, but he shook it off as he glared at Makigami's Shadow and spoke up.

"So what if he was the favorite!? That doesn't mean you punish him for it, you idiot! Has it ever occurred to you that he didn't ask to be the favorite!? Maybe they treated him like this without his say-so. Maybe he wanted them to treat you and him equally! Did you ever think of that!?" Draconis huffed as he rebuked Makigami's Shadow, who spoke up with a frown.

"So what? How can you expect me to live a normal life? I'm rebelling against this shitty society!" Makigami's Shadow said as Skull huffed and spoke up, his words making Makoto look at him in a mix of pride, awe and even a hint of respect, as what he said made her revise her opinion of him slightly.

"You think violence and crime is rebellion? Don't be stupid!" Skull rebuked Makigami's Shadow who huffed and spoke up once more.

"What did you say? I'LL SHOW YOU! You guys are thieves, too! Don't think you're better than me, idiots! Go away!" Makigami's Shadow said as it shifted forms into that of a Mithras as the battle began. Once it started, Makigami's Shadow spoke up, huffing at the group as he spoke.

"Such a condescending gaze...I'll crush you!" Makigami's Shadow said as the battle started. After the battle (in which Panther was once again knocked out of the fight), Mona hit level 23 but no skills were gained. After the fight, Makigami's Shadow reverted to normal as he spoke up.

"What was I supposed to do?! Just what are you Phantom Thieves, anyway?" Makigami's Shadow asked as Draconis spoke up.

"In a nutshell, we're allies of justice who try to change the hearts of those poor misguided souls, like yourself, who've been consumed by their own negative feelings and need a reality check." Draconis said bluntly as Makigami's Shadow gaped at this before he spoke up.

"This is impossible...I get it now. You must have heard from my brother..." Makigami's Shadow said as Joker nodded and spoke up.

"Correct. Now think about what you've done." Joker said as Skull blinked and spoke up.

"You just realized that now? Wait you already know how your brother feels, then!" Skull said as Makigami's Shadow winced and nodded, actually looking remorseful as he spoke.

"He did this... for me...That's the key to the chest in my room. Give it to my brother...You're supposed to be the good kind of thieves, right...?" Makigami's Shadow said as Skull huffed and spoke up.

"What!? Why would we do something like that for y-Psh. Anything you want to tell him?" Skull said, frowning at Makigami's Shadow who spoke up at that point again.

"Well...Hehe, 'Burn what's inside or throw it away,' I guess..." Makigami's Shadow said as he then started sobbing, to the group's surprise, as he faded away, leaving the bud of his Treasure behind which Joker grabbed, getting the 'Old Key' for his efforts. Skull then spoke up.

"What're we gonna do about that Treasure?" Skull asked Joker who spoke up, pondering the question carefully as he spoke.

"We'll give it to his brother, naturally. That's what Makigami's Shadow asked of us, and I think he was trying to make amends to his brother by doing so, so the least we can do is do as he asked." Joker said as Draconis nodded approvingly as he spoke up, voicing his agreement with Joker as he spoke.

"Precisely, Joker! Spoken like a good brother!" Draconis said sagely with a rare smile as Panther nodded and spoke up.

"Yeah. It's no use to us, anyway." Panther said as Fox spoke up.

"What will we do? I can give it to him since he goes to my school." Fox said as Mona shook his head and spoke up.

"No, I'll just sneak it into his house. I think that's the best way..." Mona said as Draconis nodded and spoke up.

"Just be careful while you do that, Mona. No sense in you getting yourself in trouble trying to help fulfill the wishes of a reformed criminal, after all." Draconis said sagely. Panther nodded her agreement as she spoke up.

"Yeah! I just hope everything resolves itself." Panther said as Skull nodded, smiling as he spoke up.

"Truth! In any case, we pretty much succeeded with our mission!" Skull said as Joker's phone pinged at that moment to confirm that the request 'Phantom Thieves VS Burglary Ring' had been marked as 'COMPLETED'. At that point, Makoto smiled as she spoke up.

"All right! Another case solved! So, what's next? Do we continue exploring?" Makoto asked. Mona spoke up at that point.

"There are no more targets in this area. What's our next move, Joker?" Mona asked Joker who spoke up.

"Let's keep going, since I think we might be close to a rest area. And then once we get there, we can call it there and head back to the entrance and return to the real world." Joker decided as the group nodded and kept moving. After a bit, they reached the next floor, and just as Joker had predicted, it was indeed a rest area, which was then registered as a fast-travel point, at which point the group fast-travelled back to the entrance, after which Joker headed into the Velvet Room to do some Persona management. While there, he managed to obtain a Flauros with Tarukaja, so he spoke to Caroline and Justine, who blinked as he spoke to them.

"Hey! So, you've brought us another Persona we asked for." Caroline said as Justine nodded and spoke up.

"Indeed...You did indeed bring us a Flauros with the skill Tarukaja. That completes your current assignment..." Justine said as Caroline smirked and spoke up, smirking at Ren as she spoke while he had a seat on the floor of his cell.

"See? You can do it! You're better than I thought, Inmate. I was thinking you'd just give up straight away." Caroline said as Justine nodded and spoke up.

"Yes, it is to be expected of the human our master saw potential in." Justine said sagely as Caroline nodded and spoke up.

"You're dedicated, I'll give you that. Just keep it up all right?" Caroline said as Ren nodded and spoke up.

"Very well. I understand. While these tasks are challenging, as they should be, they're not too challenging, which is good." Ren said. Justine smiled and nodded as she spoke up.

"That is a fine attitude to have." Justine said as Caroline huffed and spoke up.

"Talk's cheap. You're gonna have to put your money where your mouth is." Caroline said before giggling as she looked at Justine and kept speaking.

"I've gotta say, Justine, it's an accomplishment that he hasn't thrown in the towel yet." Caroline said with a smirk as Justine gasped and turned a wide-eyed gaze onto Caroline as she spoke up in mixed shock and confusion.

"How so?" Justine asked Caroline who spoke up with a smirk.

"That task list you wrote. It's not only keeping him on his toes, but helping him improve too." Caroline said as Justine blinked and spoke up in confusion.

"Hm? I am not the one who wrote it." Justine said, making Caroline blink at her in surprise as she kept speaking.

"I have always assumed it was you..." Justine said honestly making Caroline sputter as she spoke up.

"Excuse me!? What!? I don't know anything about this thing." Caroline sputtered as Justine looked at the list before speaking up.

"I suppose now that I consider it, that list is far too precise for you to have written it." Justine said as Caroline huffed and spoke up.

"Hmph! Quiet! You didn't need to say that." Caroline said before gasping as she kept speaking.

"But wait...Who wrote it then? It wasn't our master, was it?" Caroline asked as Justine shook her head as she spoke up.

"No. I have not heard him mention anything of the sort...How long have we had this list?" Justine said as Ren spoke up despite himself at that point.

"Is something wrong?" Ren asked politely, a bit concerned for the twins. Caroline huffed at Ren as she spoke up with a frown.

"Sh-Shut up! Don't read too much into this! Just keep quiet and focus on finishing your tasks, Inmate!" Caroline said as Justine spoke up.

"Caroline, should we consult with our master about this?" Justine asked Caroline who turned a wary gaze towards Igor who was sitting at his desk just staring blankly ahead at the wall, seemingly not paying any mind to the goings-on around him. Caroline then nodded as she spoke up.

"All our master told us to do is oversee the rehabilitation, and it's our duty to follow orders. We shouldn't waste his time on something this pointless." Caroline said as Justine nodded with a smile as she spoke up.

"Indeed. It does not matter who conceived this list." Justine said as Caroline glared at Ren before speaking up.

"Hey, Inmate! Quit prying. Got that!?" Caroline said as Justine nodded and spoke up.

"Yes! Of course, we will continue to offer benefits to you if you can further fulfill our tasks. All that we ask is that you work hard in the duty you are assigned...We shall do the same." Caroilne said as Ren nodded, feeling his bond with Caroline and Justine deepen, at which point the 'Strength' card appeared in his mind's eye, the 'II' becoming a 'III' to signify that Ren's Strength Confidant link with Caroline and Justine had reached rank 3, and as a result, Ren had gained access to the 'Lockdown' ritual, which according to the description, allows Ren to leave one Persona in Lockdown for a certain period of time, during which it gets stronger and even learns moves possibly, along with gaining extra resistances it might not otherwise have. Afterwards, Justine spoke up.

"As promised, I have granted you an ability that will prove greatly beneficial. You may now place a Persona into Lockdown and train it to learn new skills." Justine said as Caroline crossed her arms and frowned at Ren as she spoke up.

"While you're lazily wasting away, your Persona's gonna grow all on its own. Talk about hospitality! Anyway, time for your next task! According to the list, it's...uh...What is it, Justine?" Caroline asked Justine who looked at the list then at Ren as she spoke up.

"Now, the next task is...Please bring us a Phoenix with the skill Counter. Speak to us again once you have obtained it. Until then, farewell. Oh, one more thing...The next privilege we provide for you will unlock great power. Therefore, we will need you to fulfill two more tasks before we can hand it over to you." Justine said as Ren nodded. Caroline chuckled as she spoke up mockingly.

"Heh...The world's not so easy, is it!?" Caroline said as Ren nodded so Caroline kept speaking.

"First up, bring us a Phoenix that has Counter!" Caroline said as Justine spoke up.

"Now, as always, speak to us once you have obtained it. We will know if the deed is done. Am I clear?" Justine said as Ren nodded. He then exited the Velvet Room. Once back in Mementos, Joker walked towards the entrance and indicated that he wanted to leave, making Mona speak up.

"Hm? Do you want to retreat, Joker?" Mona asked Joker, who nodded and spoke up, giving the group an appraising look as he spoke.

"Yeah, we're good to call it here. We got all the targets we came for, and I got what I needed to do done in the Velvet Room, so let's head back to the real world." Joker said. Joker's MetaNav then spoke up at that point.

"Now returning to the real world from Mementos. Thank you for your hard work." Joker's phone said as the group exited Mementos and returned to the real world...

(Back in the real world, at Mementos that evening with Ren, Kusa and Morgana)

As Ren and Kusa walked into Mementos, getting the usual curt nod of greeting from Sojiro, Ren's phone went off to signify a private chat from Mishima.

"We got a new post about that old man who was stirring up trouble in Kichijoji! Sounds like he and his son went around apologizing to everyone in Harmony Alley. It was like he was a totally different person. Begging them on his knees for forgiveness, and all..." Mishima sent as Ren sent a response.

"Sounds like a change of heart to me." Ren sent. Mishima sent a response at that point.

"Yep, it went perfectly! Nice work as always!" Mishima sent as Ren put away his phone. Morgana then spoke up at that point.

"All that stuff about no family had me worried about Yusuke, but it looks like things worked out okay. I'm kind of happy too." Morgana said as Ren nodded. After checking a few things, Ren and Kusa headed upstairs to ponder their next move...

END OF CHAPTER

A/N: And boom, another chapter done and dusted! Granted, we didn't get the prep week quite finished this time, but we're fairly close to it. So odds are good next chapter SHOULD be the end of said prep week and the start/continuation of Kaneshiro's Palace, along with a certain newcomer to the Thieves getting her code name, and maybe other shenanigans as well. You'll have to read the next chapter to find out exactly what will happen in it!

Anyways, with this extra chapter, that makes it more likely that Arc 3 will be an 11 part arc like Arc 2 was, but only time will tell for sure if it is 11 parts or not. In the interim, thanks to any of you who've read this far! It means a great deal to me that I've kept your interest enough that you've read up to this point! So thank you so much to anyone still reading at this point of the chapter and story! Your support and interest is very much appreciated!

That said, if you've been enjoying the story so far, feel free to leave a review with your opinions/feedback/constructive criticism of the story so far, or even PM me with it, if not both. I appreciate any support I can get from my readers, and enjoy hearing from them. I appreciate your support either way. Until next chapter, sithlorde1988 out!

CONFIDANT LINK RANKS AS OF THE END OF CHAPTER 31

FOOL (Igor/Prison Master) : Rank 5

MAGICIAN (Morgana) : Rank 4

EMPEROR (Yusuke) : Rank 2

HIEROPHANT (Sojiro) : Rank 3

LOVERS (Ann) : Rank 5

CHARIOT (Ryuji) : Rank 5

JUSTICE (Akechi) : Rank 3

STRENGTH (Caroline and Justine/Twin Wardens) : Rank 3

DEATH (Takemi/Back-Alley Doctor) : Rank 5

TEMPERANCE (Kawakami) : Rank 1

MOON (Mishima) : Rank 4

SUN (Yoshida) : Rank 2

WORLD (Kusa) : Rank 3

FAITH (Kasumi/Yoshizawa) : Rank 2

COUNCILLOR (Maruki) : Rank 4